Business

What is scope creep?

Odds are, even if you've never heard the term you've experienced it in some way. Scope creep is when the agreed-upon deliverables for a project (the scope of work) are exceeded by the actual amount of work put into the project, without a commensurate increase in pay. It's not usually due to an insidious plan to squeeze every bit of usefulness out of the service provider, but rather the result of poor planning, inadequately defined parameters for the project, and/or an unrealistic expectation of how long the tasks within a project are going to take.

In short, the extra minutes become hours, and the project suddenly becomes a bigger beast than expected as the clock continues ticking. The additional work just creeps up on you. And you're not even going to get paid for all this extra time and effort!

Unbilled lost hours aside, scope creep can be incredibly frustrating for everyone involved: if the deadline for the project is fixed, then planned deliverables may not reach their potential or fall entirely by the wayside as limited time is used on unplanned tasks. The party who contracted the work is left unsatisfied, while the party performing the work feels like the results haven't lived up to their own expectations, in spite of extra time and effort being spent on the project. That's a confidence killer and a sure path to burnout, not to mention a good way to throttle repeat business and future referrals.

The best way to combat scope creep is to stop it before it starts. Here are five tips to keep in mind, for every project you take on.

5 Tips to Avoid Scope Creep

1. Be thorough from day one

Have a thorough discovery or onboarding call to ensure that you understand your client's needs. We recommend doing this prior to providing pricing so you can price accordingly.

2. Be honest with yourself

It's common to underestimate how much time a project is going to take, whether because you're being overly optimistic or because you're attempting to make your proposal more attractive. Be realistic now, bill accordingly, and everyone will be happier later.

3. Get it in writing

It may feel a little like overkill to dig into the nitty-gritty of a project in a contract, but outlining the parameters and deliverables in detail means that both parties know what to expect, and when. Keeping things open-ended may feel like freedom in the beginning, but can mean having to do the work twice (or more) as the client refines what it is they really want. Save the surprises for birthday parties and gender reveals.

Make your contract deliverables specific— be sure both parties know what they need to do

Include a clause that states that any work performed that is outside of the specific scope of the contract will be subject to a new estimate, and may affect the delivery date

Clarify how many revisions/drafts/rounds of edits are included in the pricing, if any

4. Failure to plan is planning to fail

This is especially crucial if you're juggling multiple projects or clients. Use project management software to break large projects down into discrete tasks with deadlines, to ensure you stay on track and that contract deliverables stay clearly defined and on schedule.

5. Keep the tone positive

In the event that a client is pushing you to scope creep, don't be afraid to respond with a simple message that says: I would love to work on this aspect of your business. It's outside of the scope of our existing deliverables, but I am happy to provide you with an estimate. Then, let them know the cost or when they will receive an estimate. This effort now will prevent any unpleasant surprises down the road.

(but also, stay flexible)

Keep in mind that a project that goes from point A to B all the way to Z without any hiccups is relatively rare. Some degree of change is to be expected, and that's not necessarily a bad thing! Just make sure those extra hours = extra pay.

The ability to stay flexible is appreciated by all parties. Adapt, but know that your time is valuable, and you only have so much of it in a day.

We love podcasts— self-paced opportunities to keep on learning that you can take advantage of just about anywhere, and that lend themselves so well to multitasking. They're especially useful when it comes to business and the online landscape: you can stay on top of the latest and greatest changes and trends, be inspired to do and be more, and avoid making costly mistakes by learning from the mistakes of others.

We love that feeling when you discover a new-to-you podcast and discover it has an extensive back catalog to explore. Alas, it's inevitably followed by a sad moment when you reach the last episode, but then the search is on for the next stellar, satisfying binge.

In our own searches for new blogging and business podcasts to devour, we've found that most “best podcast” lists tend to feature the same major players we've heard before. That's no good for the podcast obsessed! So we rolled our sleeves up and scoured the internet to curate a huge list of podcasts that has something for everyone, at every stage of business. Enjoy!

80 Podcasts to Inspire Online Business Owners

Marketing and Sales

Neil Patel and Eric Siu have years of experience deep in the trenches of digital marketing. Their Marketing School podcast is a 10-minute daily dose of marketing advice for new websites and established businesses alike: you'll hear about the latest in search engine optimization, content marketing, social media, email marketing, conversion optimization and general online marketing tactics.

Recent episodes: The Best Twitter Traffic Hack, How to Only Produce Blog Posts People Want to Read

What's your marketing personality type? The Marketing Personalities Podcast offers up valuable insight and interviews about aligning your marketing strategy with your personality type, based on the Myers-Briggs framework, so that you can attract the right clients and customers and grow your profits, all while using your unique talents, perspectives, and personality and staying true to who you naturally are.

Recent episodes: A Review of the Explorer Tribe with Kristy Runzer, A Review of the Sentinel Tribe with Ashley Gartland

Melina Palmer is a sales conversion expert with a personal mission to make your business more effective and brain friendly. In her Brainy Business podcast, she breaks down the complex concepts of behavioral economics (the study and science of why people buy – or not) and provides simple tips you can immediately apply to increase sales and get more customers, whether you're a small startup or thriving corporation.

Recent episodes: The Overwhelmed Brain and Its Impact on Decision Making, Booms and Busts

Described as “Audio Inspir-action,” Amy Porterfield's Online Marketing Made Easy is all about actionable advice for positive ROI. Listen to individual episodes or pick a collection (Start Strong, Scale Fast or Sell More) to access a wealth of momentum-building and profit-building advice best suited for your current stage of business growth.

Recent episodes: How to Use a Virtual Assistant to Make Your Webinars More Profitable (+ Easier!), How to Get Past the Fear of Launching

The Simple Pin Podcast is dedicated to using Pinterest to boost your business. Host Kate Ahl is the owner and founder of Simple Pin Media, a Pinterest management company that specializes in managing Pinterest pages for businesses and bloggers. She interviews people using Pinterest in creative ways to build their email list and increase revenue, and covers the latest updates, trends, and tips for maximizing your efforts without wasting your time.

Recent episodes: What to Do When You Experience a Pinterest Traffic Drop, How to Create a Pinterest Marketing Strategy that works for You

Jacqueline Snyder is an apparel and accessories who owns Designer Consulting Co-Op and Cuffs Couture. Minna Khounlo-Sithep is an Amazon expert and owner of Lil' Labels. Together they teach product entrepreneurs how to grow their platforms (online sales channels and offline), gain ecommerce visibility, streamline their businesses to scale and effectively tackle product-based struggles.

Recent episodes: Behind the Wholesale Side of Pura Vida Bracelets with Jared Mehr, Plan Your Product Development Calendar for 2019

That client-hunting hustle is hard, especially when you're hard at work for your current clients. If you're ready to stop worrying about where your next sale is coming from, this is the podcast for you. Host Michelle Evans takes entrepreneurs, experts, coaches, consultants and online business owners behind the scenes to learn how different marketing funnel strategies can help you to attract more clients, get your message to more people and make more money… without all the hustle.

Recent episodes: When Life Kicks You in the Butt…Let Your Marketing Funnel Save the Day, Leaving the Door Open After You Get a No

Blogging

Bloggers looking to grow their side-hustle to full-time income can find out how to attract their dream sponsor, create a business plan, make a live broadcast go viral and more on the Influencer Entrepreneur Podcast. Life-style blogger, mompreneur and business coach Jenny Melrose records live every week on her Facebook page, so listeners have a chance be on the show.

One of the first and most well-known blogs about blogging, ProBlogger aims to inspire, teach and support bloggers to create blogs that serve their readers and make the world a better place, while building income streams for the bloggers behind them. On the Problogger Podcast, Darren Rowse continues to cover everything bloggers need to know to improve and monetize their websites.

Recent episodes: How One Blogger Quit Her Job and Started a Lifestyle Blog, How Krista Overcame Fear And Procrastination In Her Blogging

In 2010, Lindsay and Bjork Ostrom started a food blog called Pinch of Yum and grew it into their primary source of income; their Food Blogger Pro site helps others to do the same. The Food Blogger Pro Podcast is for both aspiring bloggers and seasoned bloggers from all niches as they work towards building a beautiful, functional, and profitable blog.

Jillian Leslie, former Hollywood screenwriter and founder of MiloTree, loves a good story. Here, she interviews successful bloggers and online entrepreneurs, dissecting their businesses so that listeners can learn what’s currently working and take away marketing and social media tips and tricks to grow their own online businesses.

This show is not about the “how to” of blogging or new money making ideas. Kim Anderson of Kim Anderson Consulting created Just Keep Blogging to give bloggers and online content creators a regular dose of encouragement to keep growing, building, learning and creating new blogging goals, even when they want to give up. Topics include content creation, email marketing, clarity, focus and planning.

Boss Girl Creative Podcast is a spinoff of Taylor Bradford's #bloggingedumacation series, a deep dive into the nitty gritty of blogging. Intended for female creative entrepreneurs, its goal is to teach the whats, hows and whys of blogging, business and being an entrepreneur, from growing a community around your brand to launching a product or service.

Leslie Samuel is the creator of the Interactive Biology Blog and the guy behind Become A Blogger. In his podcast, he teaches solid lessons about how to build a blog that will have an impact, in addition to interviewing other successful bloggers who have built successful platforms and turned them into thriving online businesses. Learn how to build your online business with a blog that will thrive no matter what Google throws at it, and open the doors to new opportunities.

Recent episodes: Goal-setting for Bloggers: How to Get More Done That Matters, How to Grow a Blog to 20 Million Readers with Maat van Uitert

Finance and Legal

So Money host Farnoosh Torabi is an award winning financial correspondent, best selling author and television personality. On her podcast, she tackles your biggest financial questions and engages in candid conversations with the world’s top business minds, authors and influencers (including Tim Ferriss, Gretchen Rubin, Seth Godin, Jim Cramer, Jillian Michaels and more) about their financial philosophies, wins, failures and habits.

Profit Boss Radio host Hilary Hendershott is a CFP®, MBA, and a fiduciary financial advisor with a pragmatic approach to money and no-nonsense attitude, inspiring and empowering women on their financial and professional journeys. Tune in for real-life listener stories and expert guest series on how to overcome financial obstacles and attain financial success.

Angie Lee is a wellness influencer, serial entrepreneur, business mentor, motivational speaker and marketing guru. Her obsession is with showing women what's possible when they jump into the unknown and create a business they love. Having gone from $100k in debt to 7 figures while under 30, Angie is dedicated to sharing her story and helping women to upgrade their relationship with money so they can live a rich life in their business, health and relationships.

Recent episodes: Authenticity always wins. Secrets to audience building. Instagram marketing. Content that converts. Brand sponsorships. How to pitch brands on Instagram & get paid as an influencer., 6 lessons I learned about fear. Face your fears head on. My new relationship with fear. My year of saying yes to brave. Pays to be brave- live event, breast explant surgery & rollercoasters.

Brown Ambition is a podcast about juggling life, career, and building wealth on your own terms. Each week, hosts Mandi Woodruff, executive editor of MagnifyMoney.com and former personal finance reporter for Yahoo Finance, and Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche, an award-winning financial educator and best-selling author of “The One-Week Budget,” answer listeners' questions about money, career and business.

Personal finance coach and entrepreneur Whitney Hansen interviews everyday people with weird, unique, and amazing money stories on the Money Nerd podcast. Listen in on weekly stories from people on their way to financial independence as they pay off debt, save more money, buy real estate or start their dream businesses.
Recent episodes: SIDE HUSTLES + TRAVEL HACKING | CODY BERMAN, EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ADOPTION | WENDY MAYS

Autumn Witt Boyd has special expertise in copyright and trademark issues, and her firm (The Law Office of Autumn Witt Boyd PLLC) offers full-service legal support to creative businesses as they grow. The Legal Road Map podcast answers your copyright, trademark, and business legal questions so you can protect your rights and stay out of legal hot water— it's like having an attorney in your back pocket.

Recent episodes: Common law and state trademarks, What is a trademark search and do I need one

Mindset

Instagram would have you believe that all you need to get everything you want is to work ever harder and keep hustling. The truth is, there's more to it than that. Host James Wedmore is a seven-figure online entrepreneur who believes success comes from mindset over strategy, magic over metrics, and attitude over action. Mind Your Business is centered on building daily practices to achieve that success.

Recent episodes: Using Hypnosis to Reprogram Your Life with Doug O’Brien, 3x the Revenue in 1/3 of the Time with Allison Marshall

The Creative Imposter tackles imposter syndrome— that voice in your head that says, “Who do you think you are?” Host Andrea Klunder and guests share how to be bold and take action, putting your creative work into the world despite all obstacles, fears and doubts. Andrea is also producer and host of Podcast Envy, all about the craft of podcasting beyond the microphone, and producer/editor of Key Change, a podcast by The Santa Fe Opera and Opera for All Voices.

Branding

Learn how to create compelling content, pitch conferences and organizations, and persuasively communicate your message to your audience. On the Speaking Your Brand podcast, entrepreneur, speaker, and TV Democratic political analyst Carol Cox interviews and coaches purpose-driven women to shape their brands, grow their companies, and become recognized as influencers in their field.

Recent episodes: Get More Speaking Opportunities with a Powerful Personal Brand with Diane Diaz, The Key Question to Ask Yourself to Find Your Core Message with Nettye Johnson

Jaclyn Mellone is a coach, strategist, speaker, wife, and mom who has spent years building personal brands behind the scenes. Go-To Gal is the podcast to help you build a profitable personal brand— digging into marketing and brand strategies, how to get known, how to leverage your personal brand to build your business, and of course, the mindset of becoming the go-to gal from the inside out.

Recent episodes: How to Make Money Online – From VA to Course Creator with Abbey Ashley, How to Scale by Doing the “Unscalable” with Nathan BarryWriting and Content Creation

Writing and Content Creation

If the DIY MFA website were a campus, the DIY MFA podcast would be the school’s radio station. Hosted by self-proclaimed word nerd Gabriela Pereira, this show emulates the traditional MFA (Master of Fine Arts) speaker series where authors and industry experts speak to students about writing. Take your writing from average to awesome, and learn tools of the trade from bestselling authors, master writing teachers, and publishing industry insiders.

Kirsten Oliphant's goal is to help writers, bloggers, and creatives turn their readers into raving fans and learn to make a living doing what they love (without being smarmy). Create If Writing balances training on authentic platform building online with with inspirational interviews with writers who share their creative process, ups and downs, and how they have dealt with success or failure.

Recent episodes: How to Cut Your Wasted Time, How to Keep Your Audience Happy

Theory of Content is a podcast about why we make content. Amber Bracegirdle is a founder at Mediavine Publisher Network— they sell ads into the inventory of thousands and thousands of bloggers. Joshua Unseth is the in-house director of marketing for Alarm Grid. Together, they discuss how they go about thinking about making content.

Recent episodes: Interview with Holly of KidsActivities.com, Thankful for Content and Controversy

Hailey Dale of Your Content Empire is a certified content strategist who partners with small business owners to help them attract new clients and leads with an irresistible content strategy. Each episode takes listeners behind-the-scenes of the content strategies and systems of leading entrepreneurs, leaving them with actionable tips, strategic insights and inspiration to build their own content empire.

Recent episodes: 30 Days to the Ultimate Content Comeback, How to Design a Content Batch Week with Jordan Gill

Organization and Productivity

In each episode of Bloomberg's Works for Me, one of the hosts (Francesca Levy and Rebecca Greenfield) becomes a human guinea pig as she tries to solve a specific work-related problem using the advice of so-called productivity experts. Self-improvement is estimated to be a $10 billion sector, but do any of the productivity hacks actually improve Francesca and Rebecca's work lives? Find out, and find out if maybe they will work for you.

Recent episodes: How to Make Yourself a Morning Person, The Regular Person’s Guide to Bullet Journaling

Organizing is at the heart of productivity. Lisa Woodruff is a home organization expert, productivity specialist, and author of The Mindset of Organization, Take Back Your House One Phase at a Time. She believes that organization is a skill to be learned, that is developed over time and changes with each season of life. Her podcast Organize 365 supplies organization tips, strategies and motivation.

Recent episodes: From Piles to Productivity with Virginia Dean, Finding More Planning Time

Jordan Gill is the owner of Systems Saved Me, a business operations agency for overwhelmed entrepreneurs. The Systems Saved Me Podcast is another medium for her to help business owners, step by step, to navigate their way to success through systems. Jordan has workflows for coaches and consultants, strategists and planners, designers and developers, service based business owners, course creators and more.

Recent episodes: How to Leverage Your Strengths in Business, How to Organize Your PR Efforts

Creatives and Creativity

Elise Blaha Cripe makes stuff, but her true passion is in helping people set and work towards their goals. She has launched the Get To Work Book, which provides tools to help you get your goals organized and do the work to reach them, and an e-course on encouraging your children's creative side. On the Elise Gets Crafty podcast, she shares her small business knowledge and thoughts on goal-setting, motivation and creativity.

Recent episodes: On Building a Side Hustle, On Analytics & Connecting with Your Customers

Lauren Hooker quit her day job and started Elle & Company in January 2014 to design brands and websites for other small business owners. On the Ellechat podcast, she helps other creatives put their best foot forward online so they can turn their talents into a successful, profitable business, too: transparently sharing all of her online business and blogging strategies, branding and design tips, and marketing tactics to help creatives start and scale their business.

The Empowered Creative is a podcast about personal growth and entrepreneurship to make a positive impact in the world. Host Christina Greve combines her 20 years of experience in coaching with her journey as a lifestyle photographer, educator and online entrepreneur to help creatives navigate through self-doubt, open up to words of encouragement, and cultivate a confident mindset that busts any limiting beliefs holding them back or keeping them stuck.

Recent episodes: How To Feel Confident Promoting Yourself On Social Media, Want Your Creative Business to Grow in 2019? Here's What You Need to Stop Doing!

Running a product based business is hard and shrouded in mystery, but it doesn't have to be. Kelly Parker Smith from Hello World Paper Co. & Stamps and Caroline Hull from Caroline Creates are two product based biz owners who want to connect with and help other product based business owners. Their philosophy is that by lifting these entrepreneurs up, they're not only helping someone else's business, but everyone learns along the way and they help the industry grow.

Recent episodes: Out of the Box Revenue Streams, Fair Trade and Your Business with Molly Stillman

On the Biz Bash Podcast, hosts Elisabeth of ElisaAnne Calligraphy and Cami of Cami Monet share their experiences growing successful wedding stationery businesses and strategies to six-figure sales in the online product space. Artists, designers, calligraphers, stationers, product makers and all other creative entrepreneurs will find the tips and advice they need to confidently build a profitable and personality-driven business.

If you’re aching to build an impactful, fulfilling, and sustainable creative life, this is the podcast for you. Jen Carrington is a creative coach who spends her days coaching and mentoring creatives to create content that resonates and connects. Make It Happen is her podcast where she shares ideas, insights and conversations about building a big-hearted business and living a wholehearted creative life.

Recent episodes: Nobody is going to do your business (or your life) for you, Show up as if you're already where you want to be

Each week Jennifer Allwood of The Magic Brush shares ideas for creating a beautiful home and to build a creative business. She brings in business experts to discuss their invaluable insight, wisdom and best business tactics, how to overcome and be aware of mindset challenges that creative business owners usually face, and effective ways to brand, market, price and scale your business to reach more clients, make more money and work fewer hours.

Recent episodes: The Art of Anti-Goal Setting in your Business, From Rental Properties to TV Star with Tamara Day

Beth Kirby is the creative entrepreneur behind the Local Milk blog; Raw Milk is her Instagram filter-free podcast where she gets raw, real, and sometimes ridiculous about what it really takes to build a life and business you love, and make money while you do it. Tune in for interviews with successful entrepreneurs, small business owners, and experts to teach you practical information about their day to day systems, creative processes, wins, and fails.

Recent episodes: Insider Pinterest Secrets For Growing Your Business with Yuka Ohishi,
How To Build Community Running an Online Business with Jenna Wilson & Cary Vaughan

General Business

Designed for the services business owner, the Small Business Boss Podcast offers practical and actionable insights to help you sustain and scale. Host Maggie Patterson covers everything from finding and booking clients to tips to keep them coming back for more with an array of engaging experts.

Recent episodes: Nechelle Bartley on Money Basics for Your Service Business, Power Move: How to Set Boundaries with Clients and Stick to Them

Julie Solomon was recently named as one of the Top 100 leaders in influencer marketing, and in The Influencer Podcast she draws back the curtains on the ever changing trends in that field. Get ready to explore the secrets of persuasion, engagement and growth with guests who've translated their unique influence into online success.

Recent episodes: How to Create a Business That Runs Itself With Efficiency Expert Adrienne Dorison, The Influencers' Guide to Productivity: 5 Must-Have Tools to Run Your Business

Business strategist and high performance coach Natalie Eckdahl helps high performing women own their role as CEO of their businesses while avoiding overwhelm. On the BizChix Podcast, she's interviewed hundreds of industry influencers on topics like how to master your mindset, grow as a leader, build your team and gain visibility in your industry.

Recent episodes: How to Delegate Your Calendar, How to Create an Accountability Action Plan for Your Team

The Goal Digger podcast is a live-workshop style business podcast that allows listeners to learn from the experts how to really dig in, do the work, and tackle their biggest goals. Host Jenna Kutcher features productivity tips, social media strategies, business hacks, and inspirational stories to help design your dream career, as well as the tangible tips and hacks that she used to take a $300 Craigslist camera and turn it into a million dollar empire.

Recent episodes: The Secret to Keeping Your Customers with Emily Ley, How I Made 6-Figures in Affiliate Marketing in a Year

Formerly the Social Media to Sales Podcast, the Inner Boss Podcast teaches online business owners how to master social media marketing and put money in their bank account without burning out. Master NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) practitioner, Master Hypnotherapist, and INFJ Jen Casey helps her clients to fix their mindset, think like a top earner and sell persuasively.

Rachel Brenke has a host of credentials ranging from lawyer to MBA, and experience from running multiple businesses. She's also a mother of five, so her Business Bites Podcast comes in a 10-15 minute format for quick bites of education for the super busy. Get Rachel's top tips, business and marketing strategies, and protective and defensive measures for ensuring your business empire is shielded from liability.

Recent episodes: Uplevel like Beyonce: What to Do When You Need Help, Overcoming Sales Objections with The Sales Whisperer

Get ready to make some money, honey! Rachel Rodgers— wife, mama, and CEO of a 7-figure business— is on a mission to help every woman she meets to become a millionaire. On Million Dollar Badass, she talks to women who decided they wanted to become millionaires and then actually did it: discussing their journeys to 7-figures, the mistakes they made and the pivotal moment that changed everything.

For a decade, former PR pro Amanda Berlin wrote media pitches for companies like Disney and Dove, Brawny and Baskin Robbins, Colgate and Campbell’s. Now, she interviews entrepreneurs to help strategize their next media pitch, and journalists for tips on pitching high-level media. Tune in to the Empowered Publicity Podcast for publicity insider secrets and the dish on what it takes to build buzz, become a trusted authority and get the media to say YES.

Recent episodes: The Only Two Pitches You Really Need, How to Find Your Voice and Pivot Effectively in Business with Nikki Groom

The sister show to the BizChix podcast, Stacking Your Team is for women entrepreneurs and small business owners who are ready to expand and need support as they grow their teams— whether for the first time or 10th, locally or virtually. Host Shelli Warren leverages her background growing and leading teams in multiple organizations, including a Fortune 50 corporation.

Recent episodes: The Simplest Way to Give Feedback to a Team Member, Lead with your Enneagram Superpower with Teresa McCloy

Nicole Culver's new movement, The Social Shift, is based on the seemingly radical notion that you can have a successful business that you love, without hustling around the clock. The Shift Show offers tangible advice and growth tips to change your business and your life, helping women in the food and wellness industry to simplify, focus and scale their businesses so they become majorly profitable (and fun).

Recent episodes: 4 Ways to Get Out of the Comparison Trap in Business, Staying In Your Own Lane + Finding Your Voice as a Blogger with Paula Rollo

Business coach and Ramsey Personality Christy Wright started her first side business when she was 23. She created Business Boutique to help equip women to make money doing what they love. In each episode of the Business Boutique podcast, she takes a deep dive into topics like marketing, selling, social media and profits, interviewing top experts in each of these areas and sharing stories of women who have found success.

Recent episodes: How to Identify the Problem Your Business Solves for Your Customers, How to Find Your Passion and Grow a Business You Love

Pat Flynn from The Smart Passive Income Blog isn't a millionaire, but he supports his family 100% with passive income generated online while working only a few hours a week. Here, he reveals his business and blogging strategies, income sources and killer marketing tips and tricks— from automation and outsourcing to online courses and affiliate marketing— so you can discover how you can create multiple passive income streams that work for you.

Recent episodes: How a Beautiful Mess Became a Beautifully Diverse Business Empire – with Emma and Trey, How to Build a Successful YouTube Channel in 2019—with Derral Eves

The Fear Less Business Podcast provides a behind the scenes look at all of the topics you may be afraid to tackle in your business, but shouldn’t be. Jamie Lieberman of Hashtag Legal and Mary Clavieres of Brief Transitions bring their combined expertise from legal, manufacturing and running their own businesses along with insights from their guests and insights to provide listeners with valuable information to help move their businesses forward.

Chalene Johnson is a New York Times best selling author, business coach and serial entrepreneur. Her son, Brock Johnson, is a part-time entrepreneur, speaker and story-telling strategist. Their dual perspectives mean that whether you’re a business owner wanting to reach the next level, an aspiring entrepreneur on a limited budget or someone who just wants to make extra money on the side, this podcast has you covered.

Recent episodes: From Troubled Youth to Bad Ass Boat Captain with Sandy Yawn of Bravo's Below Deck, How to Build an 8 Figure Subscription Business with Todd White of Dry Farm Wines

Communication changes the world, but the online world is noisy. Formerly The Rebel Speaker Podcast, the Rebel Rising Podcast is for business owners, entrepreneurs, and speakers who are on a journey to becoming thought leaders and influencers and want their message to rise above the noise. This podcast moves beyond typical personal branding, marketing, business, and public speaking advice so you can make your mark and create your legacy.

Recent episodes: CULTIVATING A MINDSET THAT ALLOWS YOU TO MAKE YOUR IMPACT, THE DEATH OF DUDE BRO MARKETING & THE RISE OF SIGNIFICANCE

Rachel Luna is the best selling author of the book Successful People are Full of C.R.A.P. (Courage. Resilience. Authenticity. Perseverance): A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting it Together & Achieving Your Dreams. On her podcast, she covers transparency, business confidence and strategy, personal development, child rearing, mentorship, personal growth, money and time management, goal getting, priorities and productivity.

Recent episodes: The Ultimate Mindset Hack To Change Your Reality, How to Create a Strategic Plan for Your Vision

Jenny Fenig left a successful corporate career managing PR campaigns for the biggest brands in the world and producing premium business conferences because she valued her freedom too much to be employed by someone else. Her mission is simple: to help you cash in on your calling through your sacred work. Get Gutsy blends business + spirituality, serving up stories, lessons, and actionable tips to help you make a massive impact in the world.

Recent episodes: Making Magic: Supercharge Your Intuition, Income + Impact, Cash In On Your Calling as a Spirit Junkie with Gabby Bernstein

Not where you thought you would be at this point in your business? Overwhelmed and burnt out and tired of the constant hustle? Uncomplicate Your Business host Racheal Cook (MBA, author, entrepreneur, business growth strategist) teaches women entrepreneurs how to keep things simple and strategic to design a successful business and life on their own terms, so they can work less and live more.

Recent episodes: How a model calendar helps me work just 25 hours a week, The Power of a CEO Debrief with Tara Newman

You know where you are. You know where you want to be. But, how do you get there? Life coach, speaker and best-selling author of Permission to Leap Bri Seeley doesn't tell you how. Instead, she provides tools, resources and nuggets to digest on her podcast for female visionaries to go through and do the inner work, so they can stop spinning their wheels and become the women they see in their future.

Recent episodes: Create the Job and Financial Security You Desire, What to do with too many ideas

The Strategy Hour podcast wants you to say goodbye to the “side-hustle” mindset and hello to getting paid (and paid well) to do what you love. Hosts Abagail Pumphrey and Emylee Williams from Think Creative Collective go straight to the meat and potatoes of growing a successful 6-figure online business with in depth interviews covering topics like growing an online audience, email automation, diversifying your products and offers, generating more sales online, social media, outsourcing, affiliate marketing, productivity, systems, and how to treat your passion like the real business it is.

Recent episodes: Going All In With One Client with Kimberly Crossland, What a Marketing Director Could Do For Your Small Business with Suzi Istvan

Women are rewriting the rules for business success, making money, and changing the world. On the Glambition Radio podcast, entrepreneurial coach Ali Brown— who was named the “Entrepreneurial Guru for Women” by Business News Daily— interviews thought leaders, multi-million dollar mavens, catalysts of change as well as everyday success stories to inspire her listeners.

The purpose of the Women in Tech Podcast is for every listener to walk away feeling that “If She Can Do It So Can I,” which host Espree Devora of WeAreLATech refers to as “actionable empowerment.” The show features inspiring women from all over the world working in all arenas of tech, from engineers, female founders and UX and UI designers, to journalists and investors, all sharing their stories of how they got to where they are today.

Recent episodes: Tatyana Mitkova of ClaimCompass, Compensation For Delayed, Canceled Or Overbooked Flights: Women in Tech Bulgaria, Nina Angelovska of Grouper, The Leading E-commerce Site In Macedonia: Women in Tech Macedonia

Host Katie Krimitsos is a Mastermind Leader, Coach and Business Growth Strategist on a mission to support the journeys of female entrepreneurs who want to grow purposeful, productive and profitable businesses. Her podcast Biz Women Rock is a place to hear incredible stories from super savvy business women in all sorts of different industries, sharing their business journeys and practical strategies for purposeful growth.

Recent episodes: Ali Brown Says It’s Time to Make Your Own Model of Success, LIVE COACHING – How Do I Fill My Fitness Programs with Brandi Jackson

Looking for a women’s perspective on starting or growing a company? On the She Did It Her Way podcast, Amanda Boleyn speaks with successful female entrepreneurs, who share the ups and downs of their journeys to creating their own businesses. You'll learn how to create a thriving business that you can be proud of— online or off— with marketing, product creation, and mindset training designed just for you.

Recent episodes: How One Woman Created a Thriving Business by Solving Her Own Problem with Poorvi Patodia, 4 Strategies on How to Price Your Services and Offers for Profit,

Melanie Mitro built her successful online business with no background in social media, no network marketing experience, and no idea what she was doing. Her mission for the Women Inspiring Women podcast is to provide her listeners content so they can reach success faster without having to reinvent the wheel. Melanie discusses social media tips, content planning, marketing plans, time management, mindset, inspiration, motivation, and real talk about the down and dirty of building a business from home.

We all start somewhere. Ever wonder how some of the world's best known companies became such powerhouses? Guy Raz digs into these modern day fairy tales with the How I Built This podcast for NPR, weaving a “narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.”

Cathy Heller says “purpose is the opposite of depression” and she is lifting others to be the happiest version of themselves through her podcast, successful creative entrepreneurs about the hands-on, practical steps to making a living doing what lights you up. If your goal is to figure out your greatest passion and turn that into a profitable, thriving full-time career, start here.

Recent episodes: How to Be A Flourishing Freelancer – Joy Cho, How Cats & Coffee Inspired a Thriving Business – Zanetta Kok

Authors and “business besties” Emily Thompson and Kathleen Shannon co-host Being Boss, a podcast for creative entrepreneurs, freelancers, and side-hustlers. Dig into the mindset, habits, routines, boundaries, branding, marketing tactics, business strategies, systems, and processes that help you make money doing what you love with the likes of Brené Brown, Ramit Sethi, Danielle LaPorte, Melissa Hartwig of Whole30, and more.

Recent episodes: Company of One with Paul Jarvis, Non-Profit and For-Purpose Business Model with Shawanda Mason-Moore

Tiffany Han's job is to disrupt your status quo and help you get uncomfortable as possible, because the thing you’re most afraid of is precisely what you need to move forward. Tiffany is a certified life coach who’s on a mission to help smart, capable women raise their hands and say yes to all those things they want to do, be, and say without compromising their standards or their sanity. Raise Your Hand Say Yes with Tiffany Han focuses on keeping it real and telling the truth about a life of chasing your dreams.

Recent episodes: Yolanda Christopher on Trust, Self-Management, Leadership + the Love of Structure, How to Take a Social Media Break (or a break from any non-healthy habit)

What does it really take to make a living doing the work you love? Steph Crowder has seen too many hopeful entrepreneurs fizzle out or get bogged down. This podcast is all about securing the courage to find your vision, and the clarity to create a crystal clear process to achieve that vision. These conversations help to share what it really takes to earn an independent living doing something you love.

Recent episodes: Staying on Track When Motivation is Low, How to Declutter Your Desk (and Keep it That Way!) with Jen Rao

Dana Malstaff believes there is a spark inside of us all that wants to create an impact in this world, and at Boss Mom, she wants to fan that flame. On the Boss Mom Podcast, women entrepreneurs at all stages of raising their business and family can get the tools, tips and support they need to make their Boss Mom world just a little bit easier.

Those people online with their six figure businesses: how are they doing it and how long did it take? Are those six figures before or after expenses, and what kind of expenses are we talking about? On the Get Paid Podcast, Claire Pelletreau pull backs the curtain on the stark reality of running an online business. You’ll discover how different entrepreneurs actually get paid and what it costs them to bring in that money.

Zach Spuckler is an online business strategist who built a 6-figure business that allowed him to leave school, quit his job, and become a full-time entrepreneur in under a year. His Heart, Soul & Hustle podcast brings you top tricks, tips and industry leaders to help you take your online business to the next level— everything from the art of confidently charging your worth to the science of a six-figure launch.

Recent episodes: How to Get Paid Sponsorships with Gwen Lane, Rocking Sales Calls with Aandra Bohlen

The My Wife Quit Her Job Podcast is an interview based podcast about entrepreneurs who quit their jobs to start online businesses and the exact strategies that contributed to their success. All of the featured entrepreneurs bootstrapped their businesses from the ground up and started their own ventures to improve their lifestyle in some way— hustling to the top without risking their relationships or their life savings, and without needing extensive technical knowledge.

Recent episodes: How Allen Walton Created A 7 Figure Store Selling Spy Equipment, How To Build A Personal Brand With Facebook Ads For Just 5 Bucks A Day With Dennis Yu

She’s Building Her Empire will help you follow your purpose, blaze a trail and build or expand your business empire, without running yourself into the ground. Host Stacy Tuschl is a speaker, business coach, and owner of The Academy of Performing Arts in Wisconsin. Her real talk with top industry experts gives the scoop on how to run a successful business empire, covering topics from mindset and productivity to branding and 7-figure business systems and strategies.

Recent episodes: Build Your Dream Team with Theresa Loe, The Steps You Need to Be the Go-To Expert in Your Industry

Lara Currie is on a mission to transform the workplace. She's served as an investigative journalist, reporter, private investigator and a court-appointed child advocate in high conflict divorces, so she has tremendous insight into achieving success through more improved understanding and communication. She'll teach you how to have open and honest communication within your team that will foster deeper relationships and lead to a more trusting environment.

Recent episodes: Boundaries, Resilience and how to Say No, [Coaching] From Perfectionist to Progress by Identifying Triggers

Brooke Castillo is a Master Certified instructor, author (It Was Always Meant to Happen That Way and If I Am So Smart, Why Can't I Lose Weight?) and Curriculum Creator for The Life Coach School. The Life Coach School Podcast is all about learning, growing, and becoming certified as a Life Coach and Weight Loss Coach. You'll better understand life coaching, the required skills and mindsets, and how to focus on the client to get them the results they seek.

Writer, philanthropist, unshakable optimist and “Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur” Marie Forleo has been named by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation and one of Inc.’s 500 fastest growing companies. From business, marketing and career advice, to tackling failure, disappointment and fear, to philanthropy and doing our part to make the world a more loving, just and equitable place, this podcast covers it all.

Recent episodes: Want More Customers? Here's How to Find Your People, Feeling Like a Fraud? Stop Self Sabotage with This Unexpected Technique

Courtney Bentley is a certified personal trainer and inspirational speaker, and a former bikini competitor. She believes that all women have dreams and that every woman deserves to be fit, feel fierce and look fabulous without apology. Each week, she brings in a top expert to help listeners reach their full potential in life, building a business and lifestyle they love in a world filled of setbacks and limitations.

Recent episodes: Finding Your Courage, Habit Based Beliefs and Fear Patterns with Kate Swoboda, Why Non Toxic Living Matters and How To Get Started with Branch Basics Founders

Sometimes— oftentimes, really— you have to spend money to make money with your business. One of the best ways to get a return on your investment is through attending conferences and other events, if you find the conference that's the best fit for your niche and skill level, and you take the best advantage of your time. Done right, you'll leave with the knowledge to take your business to the next level, the inspiration and enthusiasm to imagine the possibilities and follow through with an action plan, and the connections to support you as you go.

This is especially true of the world of social media and digital entrepreneurship, where the landscape is always changing and the algorithms forever updating. It's absolutely critical to keep your finger on the pulse as this arena evolves and expands, to keep up with the competition and reap the greatest benefits for your online business.

To help you decide what conferences might be best for you, we've listed all the blogging and social media conferences we could get our hot little hands on. Whether your specialty is in DIY, finance, podcasting, parenting, SEO or anything else under the sun, there's something for everyone here!

2019 Blogging and Social Media Conferences

The Southern C Summit is limited to only 300 attendees; its past topics include social media strategy, branding and marketing, PR, working with influencers, best practices for websites and newsletters, work-life balance, partnerships and collaborations, and more. It has featured editors from many popular publications, from Better Homes & Gardens to Real Simple to Southern Living and is tailored to offer passionate entrepreneurs, creatives and business owners an opportunity to connect and collaborate with top names in media, branding and blogging.

“Bosses That Brunch Together Bloom Together!” The She.E.O Bosses Brunch brings business owners and entrepreneurs, male and female, from all different walks of life and ethnic backgrounds together with other aspiring business entrepreneurs for brand exposure, brand awareness and insight on starting and running a successful brand and business. Network, share business ideas, leave with valuable information and promote their brands.

The Dad 2.0 Summit celebrates the commercial power of dads online. Its programming follows specific tracks: Entrepreneurship & Influence, Social Media & Marketing, and Fatherhood & Family. Learn the tools and tactics used by influential bloggers to create high-quality content, build personal brands, and develop business ideas while connecting with the most influential dads, media, and marketers online today.

Ignite your gears at WorkbenchCon, a 2.5-day conference for the influencer, DIYer and business person in you. Try hands-on demos, learn new techniques using massive equipment, and attend engaging sessions to hone your skills in video production, pinning, and more.

The Design Influencers Conference, formerly the Design Bloggers Conference, is the only conference specifically for interior design influencers and interior designers actively using or interested in learning about social media and digital content marketing in the interior design industry. Attendees include influencers using content to build their businesses and personal brands, brands leveraging the web and blogger networks, and any design professional seeking to learn more about using social and other digital content for branding, connecting, or ecommerce.

Playlist Live was created by AKT Enterprises, which is an Orlando-based entertainment merchandising company that got their start by printing merch for bands and businesses in the early 2000s. The three-day event is an unforgettable experience where online creators and their biggest supporters come together in one place. Non-stop interactive activities, including amazing stage performances, will be going on throughout the entire weekend.

The longest running search engine marketing conference, Pubcon started out as a fun conference in a London pub (hence the name). Today they offer in-depth advanced educational sessions for digital marketing, from search and social to affiliates, with over 100 speakers who cover everything from link building to psychographic targeting presenting at this “spring break” conference.

Whether you’re just starting out and want to launch your podcast, or want to discover the latest, cutting-edge and data-driven success strategies for growing your audience,, you can discover the latest in all things podcasting and new media at Podfest, the “World's #1 Rated Podcast Conference & Trade Show.” Look forward to speakers and workshops that spark new and innovative ideas in creativity, content creation, audience growth, monetization and more; all-new VidFest event breakout sessions; networking and fun.

Social Media Marketing World is a one-stop-shop for everything you need to know about social media. This mega-conference by Social Media Examiner hosts 7,000 marketers and influencers, learning business-building ideas from over 100 of the world’s top pros who specialize in marketing with Facebook, Instagram, Messenger bots, live video, social strategy, content marketing, analytics, video creation, YouTube for business, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, and more.

Billed as “The Digital Experience Conference,” the Adobe Summit is built on the idea that experience is good business: it can set you apart and increase revenue growth, customer retention rates, and customer lifetime value. See what’s ahead for the future experience marketing and how you can get there, hear from top brands that are creating breakthrough experiences, find out how to use data and design together to create memorable experiences for your customers.

2019 marks 10 years and 15 sold-out events for Alt Summit, a conference for creative entrepreneurs and stylish social media influencers, and they're doubling the time frame with six days of content, tripling the size to 2000+ attendees, and quadrupling the locations with classes and sponsor spaces at four Palm Springs hotspots. They’re calling it Alt Oasis, and it's a great place to talk shop with passionate creatives at all skill levels.

The CDO Summit addresses the challenges and opportunities arising from big data, the cloud, digital disruption, and social and mobile media for those who are tasked with mastering the strategies and tactics to achieve and surpass your digital business objectives. These gatherings include the best digital strategists and practitioners on earth, in intimate, collegial, and supportive environments designed to encourage networking, learning, and knowledge-sharing.

Brought to you by the content strategy agency Brain Traffic, Confab is an event for people who care about making content better (and you don’t have to be a content strategist to attend). The program covers various areas related to content strategy, including analytics and performance, user experience design, workflows and stakeholders, content design for AI and bots, editorial assignments and calendars, and hiring and staff management.

Over 900 influencers, content creators, bloggers, women entrepreneurs, and marketers will compare notes, discuss ideas, and forecast what’s next for women online and in the marketplace at Mom 2.0. The summit features educational programs, social gatherings, inspiration and communications, through events, video, newsletters, blogs and a variety of social media.

Social Media Week brings together marketing, media and technology professionals from more than 50 countries. The 2019 theme is STORIES: With Great Influence Comes Great Responsibility. This theme drives home the need for meaningful action at this critical moment in the evolution of social media, and invites creators, journalists, marketers and technologists to embrace responsibility and tell stories that leave a lasting impression of the people who consume them, to help shape a more positive future for our industry.

Everything Food Conference was founded in 2015 by Kami Kilgore from No Diets Allowed for food online content creators, bloggers, and influencers of all skill levels. At Everything Food, you will attend impactful and applicable presentations, network with future partners and strong brands, and socialize with old and new friends.

The Women in Travel Summit by Wanderful is the premier event for women travel influencers and industry members. Their goal is to help more women find their voice in the online travel world by providing attendees with the tools, connections, and resources they need to become better travel bloggers and influencers, and to equip great brands with partnerships that can help them enhance their digital presence and meet their business goals. Expect a fusion of hands-on, applicable workshops and networking designed to inspire and empower.

Create & Cultivate is a one-day conference dedicated to the #sidehustle life, the ever changing digital landscape, and entrepreneurship: a one-stop shop for the millennial creative business woman, even those with full-time jobs looking for more. The day is structured around two tracks: Track One is focused around entrepreneurship, advancing your career and growing your brand, and Track Two's content is geared toward social media, marketing and content creation.

Join a cross industry selection of experts and over 350 marketing leaders for this three-day conference as they discuss the future of marketing, understanding and personalizing customer journeys, emotive creative and engaging storytelling, and impactful influencer marketing and innovative social content.

#WeAllGrow Summit is back for its fifth year, standing strong in their mission of elevating the voices and stories of Latinas via the power of community. The 2019 theme is “We Are CHANGEMAKERS” to celebrate the power of Latinas as the driving force in this country. This event open to anyone, regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, cultural background or level of experience.

BlogHouse is a nearly all-inclusive small travel blogging retreat with typically 20 attendees maximum. You must apply and all attendees are hand-picked. that so many travel bloggers want to attend! This experience is three-day opportunity advanced beginners (not brand new) to intermediate bloggers to work and learn in a small group environment with experienced mentors on a large variety of topics through workshops, panels, networking, masterminds, and valuable one-on-one mentoring and advice.

Only 400 tickets will be available for the Craft + Commerce Conference by ConvertKit, a place for online creators to come together to build community and learn from the world’s top creators. Not a lot of details available to report so far, but they're putting together a stellar lineup of speakers, keynote talks, workshops and parties for you as Craft + Commerce is going to be even bigger and better than ever in 2019.

So nice, they're doing it twice. Mediavine sold all their 2018 conference tickets in under 60 seconds, so they're doubling the opportunity to attend their intimate (125 tickets) and highly curated experience that we’ve become known for. Also in 2019, ticket sales will be staggered for different time zones and a number of tickets will be reserved for first-time attendees. The Mediavine Conference is aimed at experienced bloggers looking to leverage connections and take their blogs to the next level in sales, marketing, videography and more.

Not just oriented towards food bloggers, approximately 250 bloggers, writers, social media gurus, food company representatives, and others will gather at the International Food Blogger Conference in Juneau for four days of content, excursions, fun, and food. The IFBC was the first food blogging conference in the world and is organized by Foodista and Zephyr Conferences.

You only have two more chances to attend Chris Guillebeau's World Domination Summit, which asks the question: How do we live a remarkable life in a conventional world? WDS 2020 will be the 10-year grand finale; 2019 will feature a full week of events, a keynote speaker-filled weekend, and unconventional thinkers, with a shared pursuit of changing the world. All profits go to the WDS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) that provides “Scholarships For Real Life” which empower individuals to pursue their dreams and impact their community.

VidCon US—a Community Festival, Creator Conference, and Industry Summit—turns 10 this year. Choose one of three tracks: Community (celebrate online video with your friends, meet your favorite creators, and have the time of your life), Creator (create better content, grow your channel, break into the industry, and meet fellow creators), or Industry (learn secrets from the experts; build the strategies, insights, and alliances that will bring lasting success to your company).

Learn next-level tactics on everything from ranking higher in today's evolving search results to making data-driven decisions in your marketing during this three-day, one-track conference from the SEO giant Moz. The weekend promises to be full of forward-thinking, tactical sessions in SEO, growth marketing, the mobile landscape, analytics, content marketing, and more.

This DIY, design and lifestyle influencer conference is open to all who are passionate about blogging, DIY and creating beauty in the home for less. Haven brings 350 pro-bloggers together for three days to focus on improving their skills in blogging, decorating, home improvement, photography, writing, social media, brand relationships, book writing, and more.

Join over 2,500 podcasters and industry professionals at Podcast Movement, three and a half days and nights for active and aspiring podcasters, industry representatives, and podcasting professionals from around the world. With over 100 educational and informative breakout sessions and panels spread across seven tracks (including the Industry Track and the Broadcasters Meet Podcasters Track), Podcast Movement will get you started the right way or help you take things up a notch.

Content Marketing World features over 120 sessions and workshops presented by the leading brand marketers and experts from around the world covering strategy, storytelling, ROI, demand generation, AI, and more. In 2018, more than 3,700 marketers from over 50 countries attended. You'll leave with all the materials you create a content marketing strategy, and to implement a content marketing plan that will grow your business and inspire your audience.

INBOUND is hosted by HubSpot, and brings together a community 24,000+ strong of people who are passionate about marketing, selling, and delighting customers in an inbound way. INBOUND 2018 featured almost 300 breakout sessions from some of the biggest names in sales and marketing, as well as amazing entertainment (Tiffany Haddish in 2017, 2 Dope Queens in 2018), happy hours and parties, and food truck lunches.

FinCon is the world’s largest [Fin]ancial [Con]tent Expo for “money mediapreneurs”: digital content creators, influencers and brands who cover all aspects of personal finance and investing. Panels and workshops focus on various topics related to creating, promoting and profiting from money-related content, as well as what’s next in personal finance and investing. Attendees can connect with others in the community and learn how to create better content, reach their audience, and make more money.

A super intimate, relaxed retreat in the Pocono Mountains, the Connect and Learn Retreat brings 12 women bloggers, entrepreneurs and professionals together to network and connect, learning ways to grow their businesses. Throughout the weekend, they will explore best practices for growth and success both in their businesses and their personal lives— while helping others to do the same.

Held in one of the top foodie destinations in the country, Tastemaker Conference is a place where food bloggers don’t just meet, they make. This two-day event for influencers of all levels of experience features multiple classes and workshops taught by experts in the field, an exhibitor hall with over 20 highly-sought after brands sponsoring and attending to specifically connect with food bloggers, awesome networking opportunities, and very importantly, lots of delicious food. Plus, extra bonus: Danielle is speaking here!

CVX Live is a social media convention for creators, businesses, and social media personalities. To learn about social media and meet your favorite stars on YouTube, Instagram, Musical.ly, SnapChat, Facebook, etc. you'll want to go with the Viewer, Viewer Plus or Viewer Ultimate Pass is exactly what you need. If networking and building an audience for your brand on social media is your goal, then the Industry Pass is what you need for two days of classes, panels, networking luncheons, industry gatherings and more.

This invitation only, intimate event is intended for healthy living and registered dietitian bloggers. The agenda is tailored to suggestions from those who apply to attend, including topics like video and photography, brand connections and sponsorships, social media strategies and the business aspects of blogging. The application period for 2019 has closed, so mark your calendars for 2020 if Blog Brûlée speaks to your niche.

Type-A is known for the business of blogging. The 13th Annual Type-A Blogger & Social Media Influencer Conference is three days of stories, workshops, panels, brands, and new technology solutions just outside of Washington DC. 500 attendees, primarily female entrepreneurs who have built thriving businesses based on their influential blogs and social media presence, will have the opportunity to learn from real people who have built successful businesses by trying and failing.

The purpose of the ShiftCon community is ultimately to change the grocery store one brand at a time. ShiftCon is an eco-wellness conference focusing on food, wellness, health, sustainability and platform growth for influencers of all shades of green, voting with their dollar and every share. Three days of networking, learning about health and wellness, and exploring the expo guide this online influencer community in seeking healthier and more sustainable lives, promoting brands that mirror their values, and helping causes that speak to their soul.

Exposure & Profit is a content marketing conference hosted by Kelly McCausey of Love People + Make Money for business owners from all different niches who want to publish content they are proud of, for a community they love. Unique to this conference is an overt appeal to both introverts craving a laid back event schedule that gives you time to recharge, and extroverts who love long breaks to engage and meet people.

An exclusive, one-of-a-kind event, the AdThrive Accelerate Summit is for professional bloggers and digital publishers. Expert content, working sessions, and a custom, tailored experience will leave you full of ideas and action steps, inspired to make your content even more compelling, your social media more productive, and your site experience even more engaging and attractive to brands.

The “must-attend event for those charged with improving customer-engagement within marketing, digital and social media,” the Brand Marketing Summit in NYC will deliver a curated, high-level conversation to help you strategize and execute the next steps for your marketing strategy. Globally renowned brands will share how they have reinvented themselves for a new customer and developed data driven strategies for deeper customer knowledge.

EntreLeadership Master Series is an exclusive, four-day, deep-dive event for business owners that takes you deep inside the details of operating and growing a business as you learn from incredible business leaders. In addition to the daily sessions, this series offers world-class food, entertainment, and networking with other business owners and top leaders at Ramsey Solutions.

BLISSDOM is a conference and, importantly, a community of women who want to take their business and life to the next level, bringing you the information, resources, and community you need to succeed. Tracks are Business + Entrepreneurship, Writing + Speaking, Photography + Video, and Podcasting; you can stay in one track’s classes or mix-and-match classes during the event.

Held in a variety of locations throughout the year, Pinners is both a conference featuring 100+ Pinterest-based classes taught by the best presenters in the nation, and a show with nearly 300 businesses showcasing their worlds of DIY, crafts, cooking, self-improvement, photography, party planning, scrapbooking, holiday, beauty and fashion and more. 2019 dates include:

Digiday has a number of summits and other events happening worldwide in 2019. In the US:

Digiday Media Buying Summit, February 20 – 22 in Nashville: everything from how consultancies are approaching the industry to new technologies that will transform media buying over the next decade

Digiday Hot Topic: Subscriptions & Commerce, February 26 in NYC: top publishers will discuss building new commerce brands, integrating subscriptions into their organizations and getting readers to open their wallets

Glossy Forum: Modern Marketing, February 28 in NYC: marketers from the fashion, beauty and luxury industries will share how they’re working to stand out in the crowded retail landscape

Digiday Retail Forum: Direct-to-Consumer, March 21 in NYC: discuss how the direct evolution is quickly changing the face and feel of the industry as customer expectations skyrocket

Digiday Publishing Summit, March 27-29 in Vail CO: discuss keeping up with the transforming advertising landscape and diversifying revenue

Glossy Forum: The Beauty Revolution, April 15, NYC: discuss how beauty brands and retailers are rethinking their products and playbooks to be more customer-centric than ever

Digiday Retail Summit, April 29-May 1, Austin TX: hear from industry executives who are using customer data and technology to drive innovation and improve experiences across the board

Glossy Summit: Future of Fashion and Luxury, May 20-22, Miami: the biggest fashion and luxury brands meet to address the changing industry landscape

Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit, May 29-31, Austin TX: hundreds of leaders from top agencies and brands come together for a candid discussion on the biggest issues facing the industry

The SC Conference is two-day program full of hands-on workshops, panels, networking, food, dancing, photo ops, and lots more. Topics and curriculum are still being developed, so be sure to check back in on this one.

Social Fresh 2018 just wrapped up in December, and details for 2019 haven't yet been released. Keep an eye out for an announcement from Social Fresh Conference, the longest running conference in the social marketing industry. Founder Jason Keath has compared working in social to riding a pony through a bouncy castle; this conference skips the 101 content and covers as much advanced digital marketing topics as they can get to for those who have been along for the ride.

From Dan R Morris and Rachel Marie Martin of the Audience Industries, whose mission is to create meaningful theater experiences that equip and entertain motivated people and business owners with the necessary tools to be relevant and successful in the digital market. To that end, they’ve developed a four event strategy (Pull, Sequoia, Circles, Leverage) that use practical, hands-on examples, strategic marketing plans and in-depth discussions. 2019 schedule coming soon!

Confluence Con is “the coolest conference in the midwest” and one of the best bangs for your buck in the digital marketing conference circuit for anyone who uses the internet to connect with clients and make sales. This conference is for the specialists, the jacks-of-all-trades, the managers, the digital entrepreneurs and small business owners, the marketing departments big and small.

Formerly the Focused Blogging Conference, these bootcamps are 3-day events where a small number of attendees come together with blog strategist Dollie Freeman. They focus on the idea that learning should always be coupled with implementing for the best return on investment. Details for 2019 bootcamps have not yet been released.

Through their fashion and beauty conferences and monthly sessions, SIMPLY brings together fashion, beauty, and entrepreneurial mavens to network, inspire, and learn from one another. These events cover everything from mastering social media to starting a business, while inviting attendees to primp with beauty treatments and shop the hottest fashion, beauty & jewelry brands. 2018 events took place at Dubai, LA, and Fashion Island; details for 2019 are yet to be announced.

#BlogWell Retreats are working retreats for midlife women bloggers learning how to grow their influence and income. With no more than 60 attendees and an emphasis on a laid back vibe and a high priority on work time, these events are cozy and fun. The mornings of each full-day event is spent in sessions, while the afternoon is left unstructured for work, networking, planning, and opportunities to get help from one of the teachers. 2019 dates and locations coming soon.

Did we miss a conference that you know and love? Let us know and we will happily edit and add to the list.

Parting is such sweet sorrow.

The new year is an ideal time for fresh starts and redefining goals, and it's bringing some ch-ch-ch-changes to our businesses and podcast.

This is both our first episode of 2019 and the end of the line for the Businessese Influencer Marketing Podcast as you know it— as one of its hosts is leaving it as well as Hashtag Legal.

(Don't panic! The podcast will live on, just in a new, rebranded form. New episodes are on the way.)

Listen in to this week's episode to find out who is leaving, and to learn more about what our conscious uncoupling means for Businessese, Hashtag Legal and the podcast. There may be tears involved, but we're so excited about what lies ahead for 2019 and so grateful to have had our listeners along for the journey this far!

Make sure you're in the Businessese HQ to stay updated on new episodes and other developments.

Now that we've wrapped up our Unlock the Mystery series, which pulled back the curtain on how bloggers and influencers make their money, we're kicking off a new set of themed episodes! Candid Conversations continues to be a behind the scenes look at online businesses, but this series will dive into the questions we most frequently see asked (or those we are asked ourselves) when it comes to influencer marketing.

Inspired by a session Jamie recently attended at the Social Fresh social marketing conference, this week we're covering keeping your content creative.

Producing content that's fresh and engaging on a regular basis is challenging. Factor in that you want what you're producing to be sustainable and authentic— to be interesting to you personally, reflecting your mission and values without becoming repetitive— while also meeting your audience's particular needs, and it's easy to see how influencers and brands alike can struggle to find new angles and avoid burnout.

In this episode, we talk about some of the questions raised at that Social Fresh session, as well as our own struggles creating content for our podcast and tips we've picked up along the way. Listen in as we discuss:

being intentional and strategic with your content

getting ahead of your calendar by having a content plan in place

staying creative without a large budget

the importance of taking risks

taking advantage of breaks

incorporating humor

and more, including a little confession from Danielle.

How do you keep your content creative? Bounce on over to Businessese HQ: we'd love to hear your tips.